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Strap Freaks!!!
- Thread starter superspark69
- Start date
Hazing
And So It Begins... Again
- 9/5/19
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There are some awesome pics in this thread.
How about a touch of blue. A few Simona, a few gen Pam rubbers and the rep. (I wasn't originally planning on putting this here specifically at the time).
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Edited because tapa published the same Pic 3 times.
How about a touch of blue. A few Simona, a few gen Pam rubbers and the rep. (I wasn't originally planning on putting this here specifically at the time).
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Edited because tapa published the same Pic 3 times.
Last edited:
There are some awesome pics in this thread.
How about a touch of blue. A few Simona, a few gen Pam rubbers and the rep. (I wasn't originally planning on putting this here specifically at the time).
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
These good for Monday
SuperLory
Well-Known Repist
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I apologies, I did not realised this thread was under Panerai... lol. Just saw strap freak! Got my fair share of PAM straps too.
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Thought I'd add a simple tutorial to this thread for those that might care....
I've been messing around over the past couple of years with straps that I bought or came on watches that I wasn't overly happy with - actually this started with the croc strap that came with my new/gen 88....
My go-to product for softening leather is Obenauf's leather oil - I also found that it will alter the tome and the color of some leathers.
I recently bought a lovely Simona 26/26 croc strap for my 569 that looked a lot different / darker in the pictures; when it arrived it was a boring honey brown color that I wasn't keen on. So, I set about my typical process to alter the color to my taste & thought I take pictures to share.
Starting point:
I always start the process with cleaning the straps with a mild soap and water, followed by heating them with a hair drier - this helps for the oil to soak in properly. Make sure to test a small area on the inside of the strap to make sure you like the color its going to develop - I use the area around the fixed keeper.
Heat the straps again and then quickly spread a liberal amount of oil evenly along each strap, then heat them again. You will see the oil start to penetrate from the grain (cracks) inward through the larger grain areas.
I continue to apply heat every 15 minutes or so and also massage the straps with my fingers - pushing the oil into the areas furthest from the cracks. After about an hour it looks like this.
Another hour and the straps are ready for a good wiping / buffing with clean micro-fiber cloths and mounting to the watch. There will still likely be a few stubborn areas (see between the lugs) but they will fill in. In my experience, the color will lighten over the next few weeks, but not by much. I much prefer the strap now....
Now a gorgeous chestnut / burgundy color and incredibly soft.....
I've been messing around over the past couple of years with straps that I bought or came on watches that I wasn't overly happy with - actually this started with the croc strap that came with my new/gen 88....
My go-to product for softening leather is Obenauf's leather oil - I also found that it will alter the tome and the color of some leathers.
I recently bought a lovely Simona 26/26 croc strap for my 569 that looked a lot different / darker in the pictures; when it arrived it was a boring honey brown color that I wasn't keen on. So, I set about my typical process to alter the color to my taste & thought I take pictures to share.
Starting point:
I always start the process with cleaning the straps with a mild soap and water, followed by heating them with a hair drier - this helps for the oil to soak in properly. Make sure to test a small area on the inside of the strap to make sure you like the color its going to develop - I use the area around the fixed keeper.
Heat the straps again and then quickly spread a liberal amount of oil evenly along each strap, then heat them again. You will see the oil start to penetrate from the grain (cracks) inward through the larger grain areas.
I continue to apply heat every 15 minutes or so and also massage the straps with my fingers - pushing the oil into the areas furthest from the cracks. After about an hour it looks like this.
Another hour and the straps are ready for a good wiping / buffing with clean micro-fiber cloths and mounting to the watch. There will still likely be a few stubborn areas (see between the lugs) but they will fill in. In my experience, the color will lighten over the next few weeks, but not by much. I much prefer the strap now....
Now a gorgeous chestnut / burgundy color and incredibly soft.....
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Great tutorial another quick tip for darkening and adding a little patina to leather taps is plain cheap coconut oil, the type used for cooking etc. Just rub it on and leave 24 hrs. Will darken it a couple of shades a time, plus it doesn't smell bad....... unless you don’t like coconut.
another quick tip for darkening and adding a little patina to leather taps is plain cheap coconut oil, the type used for cooking etc. Just rub it on and leave 24 hrs. Will darken it a couple of shades a time, plus it doesn't smell bad....... unless you don’t like coconut.
Custom Etsy Benson Craft for my Pam127, Italian leather, thick and soft, highly recommended.
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Hazing
And So It Begins... Again
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It's interesting because when you say coconut oil I think "the stuff you use for lube". I guess it really can be used for anything. LolGreat tutorial
And posting about matching leathers in the wristies thread (and if you're interested in seeing some of the kinkier stuff some of these good leather craftsmen make, let me know) made me remember the custom distefano belt and hand made removable Panerai style buckle.
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Fun fact:
The 26mm straps also ports perfectly onto a 44mm Apple Watch strap connector...
Is that actually blasphemy?
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Yes, yes it is!
Kandinsky
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